Article 50 has been triggered and so now begins the inevitable process of realisation by Paul Nutty and his jubilant UKIPs that their dreams of control over immigration or even, amongst their more extreme supporters, repatriation of non-UK nationals are just pie in the sky. UKIP doesn't live in the real world, but then Nutty himself comes across as just a slightly dim Scouser with a penchant for exaggeration, which doesn't say much for the sharpness of the rest of the party that chose him as leader.
I am not sure whether in their blind obsession the UKIPs realised that the majority of immigration into the UK comes from non-EU countries; maybe it passed them by. Non-EU migration is managed by a visa system - the same sort of visa system which the Government will now extend to EU citizens. So - just to spell it out for those of UKIP-level intelligence - the visa system which is supposed to control future EU immigration has been in use for all the time that the Conservative government(s) were pledged to reduce migration to the 10's of thousands and has manifestly failed to make a dent in the largest element of our total inward migration. The Government had the tools and the opportunity to more than halve net migration but failed to do so; UKIP need to ask themselves why that is. Is it possible that the levels of immigration we have seen are actually driven by business need rather than the mythical benefit tourism? Could it be that immigrants have been coming here to work rather than to scrounge? And is it remotely realistic to expect any government of any hue (other than perhaps a proto-fascist UKIP government - God forbid) to actually restrict immigration when they known that it will harm UK businesses? Of course it's not; it won't happen.
Immigration will not be reduced by our exiting the EU. The UKIPs will no doubt shout and wail and stamp their little feet but the Government will merely point out that they have fulfilled their promise to 'take back control' of immigration and don't plan to actually reduce it. Oh what fun we are going to have when those poor deluded muppets realise they have been conned. No doubt there'll be protests; Nigel Farage will most likely become UKIP leader, again, to lead some kind of citizens popular uprising of the sort he threatened shortly after the referendum when he thought things were not going his way. Maybe there'll be pogroms? Vigilantes to hunt down 'illegals'?
You may think this is a flippant post, but when I listen to intelligent, mainstream Conservatives (not yet an oxymoron) like Nicky Morgan, Anna Soubry, Michael Heseltine and Spreadsheet Phil who understand the importance of immigration and the Single Market to the UK economy it throws into stark relief the extent to which the Tory Party and the political agenda in general has been hijacked by lunatic Brexiters. If anyone thinks those protectionist, anti-business ideologues are going to improve the lives of the down-trodden workers of the UK they are deluded.
Article 50 has been triggered and we are leaving the EU. I hope the UKIPs are braced for the slap in the face they are about to receive over immigration.
I am not sure whether in their blind obsession the UKIPs realised that the majority of immigration into the UK comes from non-EU countries; maybe it passed them by. Non-EU migration is managed by a visa system - the same sort of visa system which the Government will now extend to EU citizens. So - just to spell it out for those of UKIP-level intelligence - the visa system which is supposed to control future EU immigration has been in use for all the time that the Conservative government(s) were pledged to reduce migration to the 10's of thousands and has manifestly failed to make a dent in the largest element of our total inward migration. The Government had the tools and the opportunity to more than halve net migration but failed to do so; UKIP need to ask themselves why that is. Is it possible that the levels of immigration we have seen are actually driven by business need rather than the mythical benefit tourism? Could it be that immigrants have been coming here to work rather than to scrounge? And is it remotely realistic to expect any government of any hue (other than perhaps a proto-fascist UKIP government - God forbid) to actually restrict immigration when they known that it will harm UK businesses? Of course it's not; it won't happen.
Immigration will not be reduced by our exiting the EU. The UKIPs will no doubt shout and wail and stamp their little feet but the Government will merely point out that they have fulfilled their promise to 'take back control' of immigration and don't plan to actually reduce it. Oh what fun we are going to have when those poor deluded muppets realise they have been conned. No doubt there'll be protests; Nigel Farage will most likely become UKIP leader, again, to lead some kind of citizens popular uprising of the sort he threatened shortly after the referendum when he thought things were not going his way. Maybe there'll be pogroms? Vigilantes to hunt down 'illegals'?
You may think this is a flippant post, but when I listen to intelligent, mainstream Conservatives (not yet an oxymoron) like Nicky Morgan, Anna Soubry, Michael Heseltine and Spreadsheet Phil who understand the importance of immigration and the Single Market to the UK economy it throws into stark relief the extent to which the Tory Party and the political agenda in general has been hijacked by lunatic Brexiters. If anyone thinks those protectionist, anti-business ideologues are going to improve the lives of the down-trodden workers of the UK they are deluded.
Article 50 has been triggered and we are leaving the EU. I hope the UKIPs are braced for the slap in the face they are about to receive over immigration.